Colorado's Best Craft Beers

We tasted every commercially distributed craft beer we could track down in Colorado, one of America’s true craft-brewing hot spots. (Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.) Here, in nine categories, we rank the very best.

2. Flashback Anniversary AleBoulder Beer Company, Boulder
Malt: 6 | Hops: 7 | ABV 6.9 percent
From the good folks at Boulder Beer comes this fun, creative, unique brew. (Is it a brown ale?! Is it an India pale ale?!) This beer will surprise you with its aggressive hops character, but the malt keeps Flashback balanced. One of the most interesting beers we tasted during our research—and that’s saying something. www.boulderbeer.com

3. Wooly Booger Nut Brown AleThe Grand Lake Brewing Company, Grand Lake
Malt: 7 | Hops: 2 | ABV 5 percent
For the uninitiated, the wooly booger refers to a specific kind of lure used in fly-fishing, not a…well, never mind. In any event, this English-style brown tastes better than it sounds, with a medium body and a toffee-nut, slightly sweet taste. Maybe not our pick for a day of casting on the river, but we’d order a bottle at the pub any day of the week. www.grandlakebrewing.com

Porter

George Washington brewed this rich, dark ale himself—enough said.

1. Cutthroat PorterOdell Brewing Company, Fort Collins
Malt: 7 | Hops: 4 | ABV 5.1 percent
Forget the cloyingly sweet porters you’ve tried in the past—Odell’s Cutthroat is a smooth, dark ale that you’ll return to again and again and again. You’re not going to be tossing back porters on a scorching hot day, but whenever the weather drops below 55—including on summer nights—we reach for the bottle opener and a Cutthroat. www.odellbrewing.com

2. Black Jack PorterLeft Hand Brewing Company, Longmont
Malt: 8 | Hops: 3 | ABV 6.8 percent
If Count Chocula and the Dunkin’ Donuts guy got together to brew some beer, they’d end up with Black Jack: an English-style porter loaded with chocolate and roasted espresso flavors. This is the perfect beer to warm your belly and brain after trudging out to shovel your driveway at 11 p.m. www.lefthandbrewing.com

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The American Society of Interior Designers' (ASID) Colorado Chapter decorated the Governor's Residence for the holidays. Holiday tours, free and open to the public, will take place December 8-11 and December 15-18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All photos by Sarah Boyum